Healthcare for British state pensioners resident in Spain

Fecha Publicación: 
15 Junio 2012

People regularly ask how the Spanish Government is reimbursed for the medical care that it provides to British State Pensioners who are legally resident in Spain. Well Kathy Kelly recently asked the same question, albeit by email, of the Pensions Office.

The Leader | Noticia

Her reply is published below:

Subject: Response to your Query : - Ref:XXXXXX
Reply to your email to the Department of Health
Our ref: XXXXXX 
Dear Mrs Kelly,
Thank you for your correspondence of 31 May about healthcare for UK state pensioners resident in Spain.  I have been asked to reply.
Under European Union Regulations, member states of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland are required to meet the cost of any state-provided healthcare given to that country’s state pensioners when such pensioners choose to live in a different EEA Member State from the one that pays the pension.  A member state can do this either by charging the actual cost per health episode or by charging an annual average cost per pensioner.
The UK and Spain choose to bill other Member States for their state pensioners through the average cost option.  Therefore, the UK will pay Spain around £3,500 per year for each UK state pensioner’s medical care.  A very similar charge is levied by the UK for Spanish state pensioners residing in the UK. 
I hope this reply is helpful.
Yours sincerely,
Peter Wozniak
Ministerial Correspondence and Public Enquiries
Department of Health 

Fuente original

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